Hydrostatic transaxle

ABSTRACT

A hydrostatic transaxle includes: a casing; a hydraulic continuously variable transmission; and an oil filter that includes a filter body for filtering the hydraulic oil and a filter holding member configured to guide clean oil filtered in the filter body to a suction oil reservoir, in which the filter holding member includes a filter installation portion for installing the filter body, and a suction oil reservoir provided at a position different from the filter installation portion, and the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir are configured to be separable from each other and be couplable to each other to freely flow.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/191,063, filed on Nov. 14, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/586,563, filed on Nov. 15, 2017, which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

At least one embodiment according to the present invention relates to a hydrostatic transaxle.

(2) Description of Related Art

As disclosed in, for example, JP-A 2007-153130 Gazette, a conventional hydrostatic transaxle is known which includes: a continuously variable transmission; a reduction gear train; an oil filter for filtering hydraulic oil to be supplied to the continuously variable transmission; and the like.

The hydrostatic transaxle as described above has a configuration in which a lid for attachment and detachment of the filter receives a base of a spring with which a charge pressure of a floating charge pump is determined.

For this reason, in the hydrostatic transaxle having the above-described configuration, when the lid for attachment and detachment of the filter is removed, the charge pump falls off by its own weight. Therefore, when the lid is set after filter exchange, it is necessary to reassemble the charge pump, and it is also necessary to close the lid while compressing the spring. This makes exchange work of the oil filter difficult. In the hydrostatic transaxle having the configuration described above, there is also a problem that a setting pressure of the charge pump changes depending on tightness of a bolt fastening the lid.

In a case where a filter installation portion for installing the oil filter and a suction oil reservoir that stores the oil filtered in the filter are integrally formed, the shape becomes complicated, the manufacturing cost increases, and the manufacturing is difficult. In addition, when the use of either the filter installation portion or the suction oil reservoir is changed, it is necessary to change all components in a case where the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir are integrally formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

At least one embodiment of the present application provides a hydrostatic transaxle capable of facilitating oil filter exchange.

In order to achieve the matter described above, the hydrostatic transaxle includes: a casing that is provided with an openable and closable filter insertion port and is filled with hydraulic oil; a hydraulic continuously variable transmission that is arranged inside the casing, the hydraulic continuously variable transmission including in combination a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, and a center section provided with a closed circuit for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor, and including a port for charging the hydraulic oil in the closed circuit; and an oil filter that includes a filter body for filtering the hydraulic oil and a filter holding member configured to guide clean oil filtered in the filter body to a suction oil reservoir, in which the filter holding member includes a filter installation portion for installing the filter body, and a suction oil reservoir provided at a position different from the filter installation portion, and the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir are configured to be separable from each other and be couplable to each other to freely flow.

In order to achieve the matter described above, an intercoupling portion between the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir is configured as a concave or convex cylindrical portion and is fittable, and the intercoupling portion includes an engaging portion and an engaged portion.

In order to achieve the matter described above, the suction oil reservoir has a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion is configured to be separable into two components in a thickness direction, and the two components include an engaging portion and an engaged portion.

In order to achieve the matter described above, the hydrostatic transaxle includes a casing that is provided with an openable and closable filter insertion port and is filled with hydraulic oil; a hydraulic continuously variable transmission that is arranged inside the casing, the hydraulic continuously variable transmission including in combination a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, and a center section provided with a closed circuit for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor, and including a port for charging the hydraulic oil in the closed circuit; and an oil filter that is configured by a filter body for filtering the hydraulic oil and a filter holding member configured to guide clean oil filtered in the filter body to a suction oil reservoir, in which the filter holding member includes a filter installation portion for installing the filter body, and a suction oil reservoir provided at a position different from the filter installation portion, and a charge pump that charges the hydraulic oil is arranged in the suction oil reservoir, and a spacer is interposed between at least one surface of outer end surfaces of the suction oil reservoir and a fixed surface facing the surface.

The hydrostatic transaxle having the configuration as described above is advantageous in that the each component can be easily changed by configuring the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir to be separable.

These and other features and effects will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments and the drawings are merely examples and are not limiting. In some drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an overall configuration of a work vehicle (lawn mower) including a hydrostatic transaxle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a hydraulic system diagram of the work vehicle (lawn mower) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hydrostatic transaxle according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view (a part of the oil filter is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 3) in a state in which a lower casing portion of the hydrostatic transaxle is removed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along B-B in FIG. 3, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the hydrostatic transaxle (in a case without a charge pump) according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hydrostatic transaxle according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 7, of a hydrostatic transaxle according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along E-E in FIG. 7, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along F-F in FIG. 7, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing an oil filter constituting a hydrostatic transaxle according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 11A is a first perspective schematic view, and FIG. 11B is a second perspective schematic view.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic views showing an oil filter (in a case where a support base has a filter portion) constituting the hydrostatic transaxle according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 12A is a first schematic perspective view, and FIG. 12B is a second schematic perspective view.

FIG. 13 is a hydraulic system diagram of a work vehicle (lawn mower) including a hydrostatic transaxle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a hydraulic system diagram of the work vehicle (lawn mower) including the hydrostatic transaxle according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a hydraulic system diagram of the work vehicle (lawn mower) including the hydrostatic transaxle according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a hydraulic system diagram of a work vehicle (lawn mower) including a hydrostatic transaxle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view (J-J in FIG. 18) of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along G-G in FIG. 17, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along G-G in FIG. 17, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along H-H in FIG. 17, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along K-K in FIG. 18, of the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a hydrostatic transaxle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing a hydrostatic transaxle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in a plan view.

FIGS. 24A and 24B are views showing a filter support member constituting the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIVA-XXIVA, and FIG. 24B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIVB-XXIVB.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the filter support member constituting the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view showing the filter support member constituting the hydrostatic transaxle according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing a hydrostatic transaxle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII showing the hydrostatic transaxle according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is an exploded perspective view showing the hydrostatic transaxle according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing a hydrostatic transaxle according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention in a right side view.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing the hydrostatic transaxle according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First, a lawn mower that is a work vehicle equipped with a hydrostatic transaxle according to an embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the following description, description will be made by defining a back and forth direction and a lateral direction with reference to a traveling direction of the lawn mower, and defining a vertical direction with reference to a vehicle body of the lawn mower arranged on a horizontal surface. The same applies to the other drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a lawn mower 1 serving as a work vehicle equipped with a hydrostatic transaxle according to an embodiment of the present invention is a zero turn radius (ZTR) type riding lawn mower on which an operator can ride to perform lawn mowing work, and includes a vehicle frame 2 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and constituting a base of a vehicle body.

The lawn mower 1 includes a pair of right and left caster wheels 3, 3 in a front end portion of the vehicle frame 2. The lawn mower 1 includes a pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 10, 10 in a rear end portion of the vehicle frame 2, and includes a pair of right and left rear wheels 4, 4 fixed on axles 11, 11 driven to rotate by the hydrostatic transaxles 10, 10. Hereinafter, the hydrostatic transaxle 10 arranged in a left side of the lawn mower 1 is also referred to as a hydrostatic transaxle 10L, and the hydrostatic transaxle 10 arranged in a right side of the lawn mower 1 is also referred to as a hydrostatic transaxle 10R.

The lawn mower 1 includes a mower 5 in a center upper portion of the vehicle frame 2, and includes a driver's seat (not shown) in an upper portion of the mower 5. The mower 5 includes a pair of right and left auxiliary wheels 6, 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lawn mower 1 includes a pair of right and left operation levers 7, 7 that are rotatable in a back and forth direction so as to enable adjustment of the travel direction and traveling speed in a right and left sides of the driver's seat. Hereinafter, the operation lever 7 arranged in the left side of the lawn mower 1 is also referred to as an operation lever 7L, and the operation lever 7 arranged in the right side of the lawn mower 1 is also referred to as an operation lever 7R. The operation levers 7L, 7R are interlockingly linked to shift levers 15, 15 of the hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R via links 8, 8, respectively. According to a forward or rearward rotation direction with reference to neutral positions of the operation levers 7L, 7R, a movable swash plate 36 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and the like) of a hydraulic pump 31 built in the hydrostatic transaxle 10L or 10R corresponding to the rotation direction inclines in a forward movement side or a backward movement side. An inclination angle of the movable swash plate 36 is set according to a rotation amount of the operation lever 7L or 7R. According to the inclination direction and the inclination angle, an oil discharge direction and an oil discharge amount of the hydraulic pump 31, that is, a forward and backward rotation direction and the rotation speed of the rear wheels 4, 4 are set. Then, the lawn mower 1 turns according to a difference between rotation amounts or a difference between rotation directions of the operation levers 7L, 7R.

Here, a hydraulic drive system of the lawn mower 1 will be described.

The hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R included in the lawn mower 1 are devices for driving the rear wheels 4, 4 to rotate, and include a casing 20, a hydro-static transmission 30, a reduction gear train 40, an oil filter 50, and the like.

The inside of the casing 20 of each of the hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R is an oil reservoir, and accommodates therein: the hydro-static transmission (hereinafter, also referred to as HST) 30 fluidly connected to a variable displacement type hydraulic pump 31 and a fixed displacement type hydraulic motor 32 via a closed circuit (a pair of oil passages X1, X2); the axles 11, 11; and a reduction gear train 40 for transmitting an output of the hydraulic motor 32 to the axle 11. The axle 11 of the hydrostatic transaxle 10L projects in the left side of the casing 20, the axle 11 of the hydrostatic transaxle 10R projects in the right side of the casing 20, and the rear wheels 4, 4 are attached to each outer end.

A pump shaft 34 is a pump shaft of the hydraulic pump 31. A traveling belt transmission mechanism from an axle output shaft Ea of an engine E to the pump shafts 34, 34 of the hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R is configured by belts B1, B2, a counter shaft C, and the like, as shown in FIG. 2.

The HST 30 in the casing 20 is configured by fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump 31 and the hydraulic motor 32 with a pair of oil passages X1, X2. The HST 30 shown in FIG. 2 includes a floating type charge pump 55 driven by the rotation of the pump shaft 34 together with the hydraulic pump 31. It should be noted that the charge pump 55 can be eliminated when the hydrostatic transaxle 10 is configured to compatible with a light load, and can be changed to a self-suction type.

The hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R have a configuration in which the charge pump 55 sucks hydraulic oil from the oil reservoir in the casing 20 via the oil filter 50. The discharged oil is adjusted by a charge relief valve 59, and is supplied to a closed circuit (low pressure side of the pair of oil passages X1, X2) between the hydraulic pump 31 and the hydraulic motor 32 of the HSTs 30, 30 via charge check valves 33 k, 33 k. The relief oil from the charge relief valve 59 is returned to the oil reservoir.

In each of the casings 20, the charge check valve 33 k for the oil passage X2 that is a high pressure side at the time of backward movement, is connected to the oil passage X2 in parallel to a neutral expansion oil passage via an orifice, and returns the pressurized oil in the oil passage X2 to the upstream side of the charge check valves 33 k, 33 k via the orifice at the time of backward movement.

When the upstream side of the charge check valves 33 k, 33 k is connected to the oil reservoir via a free wheel check valve, and the oil passage X1 or X2 has a negative pressure at the time the engine E is stopped, the check valve opens to self-suction the oil in the oil reservoir so that the inside of the closed circuit is always filled with oil. This check valve is provided in order to avoid a situation where the hydraulic motor 32 rotates together with the rear wheel 4 at the time of parking on a slope.

A bypass valve 58 is disposed in each of the closed circuits in order to enable the hydraulic motor 32 to rotate together with the rear wheel 4 at the time of towing of the vehicle or the like. The bypass valve 58 is configured to be switchable between a valve-opening position and a valve-closing position by manual operation (operation of a bypass lever 58 a). The bypass valve 58 is normally configured to be set to the valve-closing position, and is set to the valve-opening position as necessary, so that the hydraulic oil is merged from the oil passages X1, X2 and is returned to the oil reservoir of the casing 20. With such a configuration, pump action of the hydraulic motor 32 is permitted within the oil passages X1, X2, and the hydraulic motor 32 can rotate together with the rear wheel 4.

Next, the hydrostatic transaxle 10 that is a hydrostatic transaxle according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R provided in the lawn mower 1 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with each other, and although shapes of the hydrostatic transaxles 10L, 10R are different from each other, the configuration and the like of the inside of the device are common. Thus, in the description below, the hydrostatic transaxle 10L provided in the left side of the lawn mower 1 will be described as an example, and the description of the hydrostatic transaxle 10R provided in the right side of the lawn mower 1 will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hydrostatic transaxle 10L that is the hydrostatic transaxle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a device for driving the left rear wheel 4 (see FIG. 1) of the lawn mower 1 to rotate, and includes the casing 20, the HST 30, the reduction gear train 40, the oil filter 50, and the like.

The casing 20 is a casing that covers the HST 30, the reduction gear train 40, the oil filter 50, and the like, and is configured by placing an upper casing portion 20 a, a middle casing portion 20 b, and a lower casing portion 20 c on top of one another, and is filled with hydraulic oil in the inside. Reference numeral 14 denotes a reserve tank.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the lower casing portion 20 c, a filter insertion port 23 to which a filter (a filter body 52 described later) that filters the hydraulic oil is inserted and removed is formed in the right side surface opposite to the left side surface in which the axle 11 projects. The filter insertion port 23 is openable and closable by a filter cap 24 constituting a part of the casing 20.

The filter cap 24 is a lid-like member that has a cylindrical body portion 24 a that can be inserted into the filter insertion port 23, and provided with a male screw 24 b on an outer peripheral portion of the body portion 24 a. The filter cap 24 is configured to be freely attached to and detached from the filter insertion port 23 by screwing the male screw 24 b into the female screw 23 a formed in the filter insertion port 23.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the HST 30 is configured by the hydraulic pump 31, the hydraulic motor 32, and the center section 33.

The hydraulic pump 31 includes a vertically directed pump shaft 34 to which rotational power from the engine E (see FIG. 2) is input, and a first cylinder block 35 fixed on the pump shaft 34. In the peripheral direction of the first cylinder block 35, a plurality of first cylinders 35 a, 35 a, . . . are formed, and a plurality of first plungers 35 b, 35 b, . . . inserted through the first cylinders 35 a, 35 a, . . . , respectively, are included so as to freely move back and forth.

In the hydraulic motor 32, the motor shaft 37 that outputs rotation power is arranged on the center section 33 so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the axle 11 in a plan view and to form a V-shape with respect to the pump shaft 34 in a side view. A second cylinder block 38 is provided on the motor shaft 37 so as not to rotate relative to each other. In the peripheral direction of the second cylinder block 38, a plurality of second cylinders 38 a, 38 a, . . . are formed, and a plurality of second plungers 38 b, 38 b, . . . inserted through the second cylinders 38 a, 38 a, . . . , respectively, are included so as to freely move back and forth.

The center section 33 fluidly connects the hydraulic pump 31 and the hydraulic motor 32 by oil passages X1, X2 (see FIG. 2) that are closed circuits drilled in the center section 33. The closed circuit includes an oil suction port 33 a for supplying the hydraulic oil.

The center section 33 is provided with a first shaft hole 33 b for rotatably supporting the pump shaft 34 of the hydraulic pump 31, and provided with a first installation surface 33 c for installation of the first cylinder block 35. The hydraulic pump 31 is configured so as to move back and forth when the plurality of first plungers 35 b, 35 b, . . . slide along the movable swash plate 36, together with rotation of the first cylinder block 35 on a first installation surface 33 c together with the pump shaft 34.

The center section 33 is provided with a second shaft hole 33 d for rotatably supporting the motor shaft 37 of the hydraulic motor 32, and provided with a second installation surface 33 e for installation of the second cylinder block 38. The hydraulic motor 32 is configured so that the second cylinder block 38 is rotated with the motor shaft 37 on the second installation surface 33 e in accordance with the plurality of second plungers 38 b, 38 b, . . . reciprocating to slide along the fixed swash plate 39 by the hydraulic oil fed from the hydraulic pump 31, and rotation output is performed from the motor shaft 37.

The reduction gear train 40 is a portion that decelerates the rotation output from the motor shaft 37 of the hydraulic motor 32, and is configured by a bevel gear 41, a pinion gear 42, a spur gear 43, and the like.

The bevel gear 41 is arranged on a rotation shaft 44 that is rotatably pivotally supported via a bearing with respect to the upper casing portion 20 a.

The pinion gear 42 is a gear member having a smaller diameter than the bevel gear 41, and is arranged on the rotation shaft 44 in a state of being incapable of relative rotation with the bevel gear 41.

The spur gear 43 is fixed on the axle 11 that is rotatably pivotally supported via the bearing with respect to the upper casing portion 20 a.

The bevel gear 41 is meshed with a bevel pinion 37 a fixed on the motor shaft 37, and the pinion gear 42 is meshed with the spur gear 43. With such a configuration, the reduction gear train 40 is configured so that the rotation of the bevel pinion 37 a is decelerated and transmitted to the spur gear 43 via the bevel gear 41 and the pinion gear 42. As compared with the rotation speed of the motor shaft 37, the rotation speed is decelerated, and the rotation output is performed from the axle 11.

The oil filter 50 is a portion for filtering the hydraulic oil filled in the casing 20, and is configured by a filter holding member 51 and a filter body 52.

The filter holding member 51 is a member for holding the filter body 52, includes a support base 51 a, a filter connection port 51 b, and the like, and is integrally molded with a synthetic resin material that is lightweight and easy to manufacture.

The support base 51 a is a portion for supporting the filter holding member 51 (oil filter 50) in the casing 20 without bolts, and has a hollow cylindrical shape. The support base 51 a is clamped between the center section 33 and the lower casing portion 20 c in the casing 20 such that an axial direction in the cylindrical shape of the peripheral edge portion of the support base 51 a is oriented in the vertical direction.

The filter connection port 51 b communicates the inside of the support base 51 a with the inside of the filter body 52, is a portion for holding the filter body 52, and has a pipe shape. The filter connection port 51 b is extensively installed from a peripheral side surface of the support base 51 a. The filter connection port 51 b extends closer to an outer peripheral wall portion side of the lower casing portion 20 c, and extends in the axle 11 along the outer peripheral wall portion side. A holding portion 51 c for holding the filter body 52 in a parallel direction to the axle 11 is formed in an end portion of the filter connection port 51 b. The holding portion 51 c is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the filter body 52 and includes, in a periphery thereof, a cylindrical portion 51 d covering the filter body 52 to guide the incorporation of the filter body 52. An end portion, of the holding portion 51 c, opposite to the support base 51 a side is arranged so as to face the filter insertion port 23 of the lower casing portion 20 c. A slit 51 e is partially formed in the peripheral direction of the cylindrical portion 51 d to reduce suction resistance. The slit 51 e is more preferable when the slit 51 e opens in a region where there is less oil in a flow state, for preventing air mixing to the closed circuit. In the present embodiment, the slit 51 e is oriented toward a region of the second cylinder block 38 in which oil flow is relatively gentle. A magnet holder 51 f is integrally formed in the vicinity of the holding portion 51 c in the filter connection port 51 b, an opening slightly larger than a diameter of the magnet 21 is provided in a penetrating manner in the vertical direction, and the magnet 21 is held in an upright state in an inner bottom surface of the lower casing portion 20 c. This magnet 21 absorbs an iron powder in the oil around the filter.

The filter body 52 is a substantially cylindrical filter member for filtering the hydraulic oil. The filter body 52 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 51 d formed in an end portion opposite to the support base 51 a side of the filter connection port 51 b, is tightly fitted to the holding portion 51 c, and is held and fixed by the filter connection port 51 b. In the oil filter 50, the filter holding member 51 is configured by the support base 51 a and the filter connection port 51 b, thereby securing the degree of freedom of arrangement of the filter body 52.

In the oil filter 50, the filter body 52 is inserted to the casing 20 through the filter insertion port 23, and the entire filter body 52 can be accommodated in the casing 20.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, when the filter insertion port 23 is closed with the filter cap 24, the energizing spring 25 is arranged between the filter body 52 and the filter cap 24. In the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, with such a configuration, the outlet port of the filtered oil of the filter body 52 is constantly energized in a direction in which the outlet port tightly fits with the holding portion 51 c to communicate with the filter connection port 51 b.

Next, the oil filter 50 will be described in more detail.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, the oil filter 50 is arranged in a space between a lower surface of the center section 33 and the lower casing portion 20 c, i.e., a dead space generated particularly due to diagonal arrangement of the hydraulic motor 32. While the minimum ground clearance of the hydrostatic transaxle 10 is set as large as possible even when the oil filter 50 is arranged in the lower casing portion 20 c, the support base 51 a of the filter holding member 51 is clamped between the lower surface of the center section 33 and the bottom surface of the lower casing portion 20 c, and thereby, the oil filter 50 is securely held in a predetermined position in the casing 20.

On the lower surface of the center section 33, a plurality of positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h project downward. The positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h are arranged at positions where the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h can be circumscribed to the outer peripheral surface of the substantially cylindrical support base 51 a. When the support base 51 a is fitted to the inside of each of the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h, the support base 51 a is positioned at a predetermined position. The two positioning portions 33 f, 33 g of the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h are arranged at positions where the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g can be engaged with engaged portions 51 g, 51 g projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the support base 51 a. The positioning portions 33 f, 33 g are configured so that the engaged portions 51 g, 51 g are engaged with the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, and thereby, rotation of the support base 51 a about the cylindrical axis is restricted, and orientation of the filter connection port 51 b is oriented so that a terminal end portion (end portion opposite to the support base 51 a side) of the filter connection port 51 b faces the filter insertion port 23.

In the oil filter 50, ring-shaped concave portions 51 h, 51 h for fitting O-rings 57 are respectively formed on upper and lower peripheral end surfaces of the support base 51 a. In the portion clamped between the center section 33 and the lower casing portion 20 c, an oil-tight state inside and outside thereof is maintained by the O-rings 57 so that contaminated oil does not enter the support base 51 a.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, an oil suction port 33 a is contained inside the support base 51 a of the oil filter 50. In order to cause the hydraulic oil filtered by the filter body 52 to flow into the oil suction port 33 a through the filter connection port 51 b and the support base 51 a, the hydrostatic transaxle 10L has a configuration in which the charge pump 55 is arranged inside the support base 51 a of the oil filter 50 and attached to the lower surface of the center section 33 so that the hydraulic oil filtered by the filter body 52 can be pressurized by the charge pump 55 and caused to flow into the oil suction port 33 a.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the hydrostatic transaxle 10 has a configuration in which the filter insertion port 23 of the casing 20 is arranged on an inner wall opposite to an outer wall from which the axle 11 projects, so that the filter body 52 can be taken in and out through the filter insertion port 23 in a state where the filter cap 24 is removed.

With such a configuration, in the hydrostatic transaxle 10, since the filter insertion ports 23 face each other, exchange of the filter body 52 can be performed easily.

The hydrostatic transaxle 10L has a configuration in which the energizing spring 25 is interposed between the filter cap 24 and the filter body 52 so that the filter body 52 is constantly energized toward the filter connection port 51 b side by the energizing spring 25 in a state where the filter cap 24 is attached to the filter insertion port 23.

With such a configuration, in the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, the oil tightness between the holding portion 51 c of the filter connection port 51 b and the filter body 52 is ensured so that the contaminated oil is prevented from passing through the filter body 52 and flowing into the filter connection port 51 b.

The charge pump 55 is a pump for supplying the hydraulic oil to the oil suction port 33 a, and includes a charge pump housing 55 a, an inner rotor 55 b, and an outer rotor 55 c.

In the charge pump 55, the charge pump housing 55 a is disposed in the upper and lower cylindrical support base 51 a of the filter holding member 51 in the oil filter 50, and is engaged to the center section 33 above the charge pump housing 55 a via the positioning portions 33 f, 33 g, 33 h, so as to be vertically slidable. A trochoid-type inner rotor 55 b and an outer rotor 55 c are installed inside the charge pump housing 55 a. A downward extending portion of the pump shaft 34 from the center section 33 serves as a drive shaft of the inner rotor 55 b, and is rotatably pivotally supported in the charge pump housing 55 a.

An energizing spring 56 is interposed between a bottom inner surface of the lower casing portion 20 c and the lower surface of the charge pump housing 55 a. With this energizing force, a pressing force to the lower surface of the center section 33 of the charge pump 55 (the inner rotor 55 b, the outer rotor 55 c) is determined. In accordance with this pressing force, the amount of oil leakage of replenishing oil discharged from the charge pump 55 toward the oil suction port 33 a changes, so that a function such as a relief valve for simply setting the charge pressure can be provided.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 10L, even with such a configuration including the floating type charge pump 55, exchange of the filter body 52 can be performed easily.

As shown in FIG. 6, the hydrostatic transaxle 10L may have a configuration not including a charge pump, and may be configured so that clean oil is supplied from the oil suction port 33 a located in the support base 51 a by self-suction action of the hydraulic pump 31.

Next, a hydrostatic transaxle 60 that is a hydrostatic transaxle according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10.

In the lawn mower 1, instead of the above-described hydrostatic transaxle 10, the hydrostatic transaxle 60 according to the second embodiment described below can also be adopted.

A pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 60L, 60R provided in the lawn mower 1 (see FIG. 1) has a shape that is line-symmetrical with each other, and although the shapes of the hydrostatic transaxles 60L, 60R are different from each other, the configuration and the like of the inside of the device are common. Thus, in the below description of the detailed configuration, the hydrostatic transaxle 60L provided in the left side of the lawn mower 1 will be described as an example, and the description of the hydrostatic transaxle 60R, which is equivalent to the hydrostatic transaxle 60L, provided in the right side of the lawn mower 1 will be omitted. Since the components used for the hydrostatic transaxle 60L are substantially functionally the same as those used for the above-described hydrostatic transaxle 10L, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus mainly on the changed portion.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, a hydrostatic transaxle 60L that is the hydrostatic transaxle according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a casing 70, an HST 80, a reduction gear train 90, an oil filter 100, and the like.

The casing 70 is a casing that is filled with the hydraulic oil and covers the HST 80, the reduction gear train 90, the oil filter 100, and the like, and is configured by an upper casing portion 71 and a lower casing portion 72. Reference numeral 64 denotes a reserve tank.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the lower casing portion 72 is provided with a filter insertion port 73 for insertion and removal of a filter (a filter body 102 described later) in a rear side wall. The filter insertion port 73 is openable and closable by a filter cap 74 constituting a part of the casing 70.

In the center section 83 of the HST, a first installation surface 83 c for installation of the first cylinder block 85 of the hydraulic pump 81, and a second installation surface 83 e for arrangement of the second cylinder block 88 of the hydraulic motor 82 are formed at a right angle to each other.

The reduction gear train 90 is a portion that decelerates the rotation output from the motor shaft 87 of the hydraulic motor 82, and is configured by a plurality of spur gears 91, 92, 93.

The oil filter 100 is a portion for filtering the oil filled in the casing 70, and is configured by a filter holding member 101 and a filter body 102.

The filter holding member 101 is a member for holding the filter body 102, and includes a support base 101 a, a filter connection port 101 b, and the like.

In the oil filter 100, the filter connection port 101 b is extensively installed from a peripheral side surface of the support base 101 a toward a rear wall of the casing 70. The filter connection port 101 b passes under the hydraulic motor 32 so that the inside of the cylinder of the support base 101 a and the filter connection port 101 b communicate with each other. A holding portion 101 c for holding the filter body 102 in a direction perpendicular to the axle 61 is formed in an end portion, of the filter connection port 101 b, opposite to the support base 101 a. The holding portion 101 c is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the filter body 102, and is a portion configured to be fitted to the filter body 102. An end portion opposite to the support base 101 a side of the holding portion 101 c is arranged so as to face the filter insertion port 73 of the lower casing portion 72. As shown in FIG. 9, the portion passing under the hydraulic motor 32 in the filter connection port 101 b has a shape that is vertically flattened, thereby minimizing the protrusion of a bottom surface of the lower casing portion 72 toward the ground, and securing the minimum ground clearance of the hydrostatic transaxle.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 60L, when the filter insertion port 73 is closed with the filter cap 74, the filter body 102 is pressurized to the holding portion 101 c by the energizing spring 75 located between the filter body 102 and the filter cap 74.

In the charge pump 105 for supplying oil to the oil suction port 83 a, the charge pump housing 105 a is disposed in the upper and lower cylindrical support base 101 a of the oil filter 100, and a floating type charge pump is configured by an energizing spring 106 arranged between the inner bottom surface of the lower casing portion 72 and the charge pump housing 105 a.

The charge pump 105 sucks and adjusts the clean oil in the oil reservoir in the support base 101 a of the oil filter 100 to a charge pressure equivalent to the energizing spring 106 to discharge the oil to supply the oil to the closed circuit of the HST 30 via the oil suction port 83 a of the center section 83 and the charge check valve (not shown).

Next, the oil filter 100 will be described in more detail.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the oil filter 100 provided in the hydrostatic transaxle 60L is arranged and clamped between the lower surface of the center section 83 and the lower casing portion 72 to be held in a predetermined position in the casing 70.

A plurality of positioning portions 83 f, 83 g, 83 h, 83 k are provided on the lower surface of the center section 83 so as to project downward and regulate the rotation about the cylindrical axis of the support base 101 a, and orientation of the filter connection port 101 b is a predetermined orientation in which a terminal end portion (end portion in the side opposite to the support base 101 a side) of the filter connection port 101 b faces the filter insertion port 73. A magnet 76 for absorbing an iron powder in the oil is appropriately arranged around the filter holding member 101.

In the filter holding member 101 of the oil filter 100, O-rings 107 for maintaining the oil-tight state are fitted in the upper and lower end surfaces of the support base 101 a, respectively, and a gap between the lower surface of the center section 83 and the inner bottom surface of the lower casing portion 72 is eliminated.

The hydrostatic transaxle 60L has a configuration in which the filter insertion port 73 of the casing 70 is arranged in a position facing the rear end portion of the filter body 102 of the oil filter 100, so that the filter body 102 can be taken in and out through the filter insertion port 73 in a state where the filter cap 74 is removed.

With such a configuration, in the hydrostatic transaxle 60L, exchange of the filter body 102 can be easily performed.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 60L, the energizing spring 75 is interposed between the filter cap 74 and the filter body 102, and the oil tightness between the holding portion 101 c of the filter connection port 101 b and the filter body 102 is ensured.

Although the hydrostatic transaxle 60L does not have a filtering function in the support base 101 a as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a filtering function may be imparted to the support base 101 a as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

The oil filter 110 shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B includes a filter portion 103 in the support base 101 a. Therefore, the oil filter 110 has a filtering function of the oil in the filter portion 103 of the support base 101 a and the filter body 102, and a filtration area is increased as compared with the oil filter 100.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 60L including the oil filter 110 having such a configuration, clogging of the filter body 102 can be suppressed and the maintenance frequency can be reduced by the filter portion 103 capable of filtering the oil.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 10L shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the support base 51 a of the oil filter 50 does not have a filtering function, but a portion corresponding to the filter portion 103 in the oil filter 110 may be provided in the support base 51 a.

Here, a hydrostatic transaxle 120 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. In the lawn mower 1, instead of the above-described hydrostatic transaxles 10 and 60, the hydrostatic transaxle 120 according to the third embodiment described below can also be adopted. In the hydrostatic transaxle 120 shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the same reference numerals are given to portions having the same configuration as the hydrostatic transaxle 10 according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the descriptions of the portions given the same reference numerals will be omitted.

The pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 120 are provided in the lawn mower 1 (see FIG. 1). Each of the pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 120 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with each other, and although the shapes of the hydrostatic transaxles 120 are different from each other, the configuration and the like of the inside of the device are common. Thus, in the below description of the detailed configuration, the hydrostatic transaxle 120 provided in the left side of the lawn mower 1 will be described as an example. Since the components used for the hydrostatic transaxle 120 are substantially functionally the same as those used for the above-described hydrostatic transaxles 10 and 60, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus mainly on the changed portion.

As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the hydrostatic transaxle 120 includes an oil filter 150. The oil filter 150 is configured by a filter holding member 151 and a filter body 152. In the hydrostatic transaxle 120, the filter holding member 151 is arranged along the inner wall of the lower casing portion 20 c.

The filter holding member 151 is configured so that the filter holding member can be used either when a filter insertion hole 23 is arranged on the left side portion of the lower casing portion 20 c as shown in FIG. 14 or when the filter insertion hole 23 is arranged on the right side portion of the lower casing portion 20 c as shown in FIG. 15. The filter holding member 151 has a vertically symmetrical shape with reference to the virtual horizontal plane Y-Y (see FIG. 14 and FIG. 15) so that the filter holding member can be flipped horizontally with reference to the virtual vertical plane X-X (see FIG. 13) set in the forward-rear direction.

The filter holding member 151 is a member for holding the filter body 152 and is a member having substantially the same configuration as that of the above-described filter holding member 51, and includes a support base 151 a, a filter connection port 151 b, a holding portion 151 c, a cylindrical portion 151 d, a slit 151 e, a magnet holder 151 f, an engaged portion 151 g, and a concave portion 151 h, which are corresponding to respective portions of the filter holding member 51. The filter holding member 151 is integrally molded with a synthetic resin material that is lightweight and easy to manufacture.

In the oil filter 150, the filter body 152 is inserted to the casing 20 through the filter insertion port 23, and the entire filter body 152 can be accommodated in the casing 20.

In the lower casing portion 20 c, a spare screw hole 23 b is formed at a position bilaterally symmetrical to the filter insertion hole 23 and a spare filter cap 26 for sealing the screw hole 23 b is provided in the screw hole 23 b.

In the hydrostatic transaxle 120 having such a configuration, either the female screw 23 a or the screw hole 23 b can be used as the filter insertion hole 23, and in accordance with the required specifications of the hydrostatic transaxle 120, the orientation of the filter insertion hole 23 can be selected from either left or right. Accordingly, in the hydrostatic transaxle 120, it is possible to select the orientation of the filter insertion hole 23 on the side where the maintenance work of the oil filter 150 can be performed easily according to the configuration of the hydrostatic transaxle 120.

Next, a hydrostatic transaxle 210 that is a hydrostatic transaxle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21. In the hydrostatic transaxle 210 shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, the same reference numerals are given to portions having the same configuration as the hydrostatic transaxle 10 according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the descriptions of the portions given the same reference numerals will be omitted.

The pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 210 are provided in the lawn mower 1 (see FIG. 1). Each of the pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 210 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with each other, and although the shapes of the hydrostatic transaxles 210 are different from each other, the configuration and the like of the inside of the devices are common. Thus, in the below description of the detailed configuration, the hydrostatic transaxle 210 provided in the left side of the lawn mower 1 will be described as an example. Since the components used for the hydrostatic transaxle 210 are substantially functionally the same as those used for the above-described hydrostatic transaxles 10 and 60, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus mainly on the changed portion.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 shown in FIGS. 16 to 21 is an embodiment of a pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles provided in the lawn mower 1. The hydrostatic transaxle 210 is a device for driving the rear wheel 4 (see FIG. 1) of the lawn mower 1 to rotate and includes a casing 220, an HST 230, a reduction gear train 40, an oil filter 150, and the like.

The casing 220 is a casing that covers the HST 230, the reduction gear train 40, the oil filter 150, and the like, and is configured by placing an upper casing portion 220 a, a middle casing portion 220 b, and a lower casing portion 220 c on top of one another, and is filled with hydraulic oil in the inside.

In the side surface of the lower casing portion 220 c, a filter insertion port 227 to which a filter body 152 that filters the hydraulic oil is inserted and removed is formed. The filter insertion port 227 is openable and closable by a filter cap 228 constituting a part of the lower casing portion 220 c. The filter cap 228 is configured to be freely attached to and detached from the filter insertion port 227.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 includes the oil filter 150 described above. The oil filter 150 is configured by a filter holding member 151 and a filter body 152. In the hydrostatic transaxle 210, the filter holding member 151 is arranged along the inner wall of the lower casing part 220 c, and the longitudinal direction of the filter body 152 is arranged in parallel with the axle 11. In the lower casing portion 220 c, a pair of filter insertion holes 270 and a spare hole 220 d are formed in each of left and right side portions. In the lower casing part 220 c, a spare hole 220 d of the same shape is formed at a position symmetrically and vertically corresponding to the filter insertion hole 270.

The filter holding member 151 has a shape symmetrical in the forward and rear of the axis when flipped vertically around the axis of forward-rear direction so that the filter holding member 151 can be used either when the filter insertion hole 270 is arranged on the left side portion of the lower casing portion 220 c as shown in FIG. 18 or when the filter insertion hole 270 is arranged on the right side portion of the lower casing portion 220 c as shown in FIG. 19. A spare filter cap 229 is screwed into the spare hole 220 d and sealed.

The HST 230 is configured by the hydraulic pump 231, the hydraulic motor 232, and the center section 233. The hydraulic pump 231 has the same configuration as the hydraulic pump 31 described above. Further, the hydraulic motor 232 has the same configuration as the hydraulic motor 32 described above.

The center section 233 fluidly connects the hydraulic pump 231 and the hydraulic motor 232 by oil passages X1, X2 (see FIG. 13) that are closed circuits drilled in the center section 233, and has substantially the same configuration as the center section 33 described above. Hereinafter, only the portions of the center section 233 that are different from those of the center section 33 will be described. The oil passages X1 and X2, which are closed circuits of the center section 233, include an oil suction port 211 for supplying the hydraulic oil.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 includes a charge pump 255 and a charge pump casing 240 that covers the charge pump 255. The charge pump 255 is a pump configured to supply hydraulic oil to the oil suction port 211, and is driven by the rotation of the pump shaft 234 of the hydraulic pump 231. In the charge pump casing 240, a first oil passage 241, a second oil passage 242, a communication oil passage 243, a first relief oil passage 244, and a second relief oil passage 245 are formed. The charge pump casing 240 is coupled to the filter holding member 151 arranged along the inner wall of the lower casing part 220 c.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 is configured so that the hydraulic oil filtered by the filter body 152 is sucked by the charge pump 255 via the filter holding member 151 and the second oil passage 242 and the hydraulic oil pressurized by the charge pump 255 is discharged to the first oil passage 241. The communication oil passage 243 is connected to the oil suction port 211 and is configured so that the hydraulic oil supplied from the first oil passage 241 can flow into the oil suction port 211 via the communication oil passage 243.

The pressure of the oil discharged from the charge pump 255 is adjusted by the relief valve 212 in the first oil passage 241 and is sent to the oil suction port 211 via the communication oil passage 243. The hydraulic oil that has flowed into the oil suction port 211 is supplied to a closed circuit (low pressure side of the pair of oil passages X1, X2) between the hydraulic pump 231 and the hydraulic motor 232 of the HST 230 via charge check valves 213, 213. The relief oil from the relief valve 212 is returned to an oil reservoir 221.

In each of the casings 220, the charge check valve 213 for the oil passage X2 that is a high pressure side at the time of backward movement, is connected to the oil passage X2 in parallel to a neutral expansion oil passage via an orifice 214, and returns the pressurized oil in the oil passage X2 to the upstream side of the charge check valves 213, 213 via the orifice 214 at the time of backward movement.

When the upstream side of the charge check valves 213, 213 is connected to the oil reservoir 221 via a free wheel check valve 215, and the oil passage X1 or X2 has a negative pressure at the time the engine E is stopped, the free wheel check valve 215 opens to self-suction the oil in the oil reservoir 221 so that the inside of the closed circuit is always filled with oil. This free wheel check valve 215 is provided in order to avoid a situation where the hydraulic motor 232 rotates together with the rear wheel 4 at the time of parking on a slope.

A bypass mechanism 258 is disposed in each of the closed circuits in order to enable the hydraulic motor 232 to rotate together with the rear wheel 4 at the time of towing of the vehicle or the like. The bypass mechanism 258 is configured to make the charge check valve 213 switchable between a valve-opening position and a valve-closing position by manual operation (operation of a bypass lever 258 a). The bypass mechanism 258 is forcibly set to the valve-opening position as necessary, so that the hydraulic oil is merged from the oil passages X1, X2 and is returned to the oil reservoir 221 of the casing 220. With such a configuration, pump action of the hydraulic motor 232 is permitted within the oil passages X1, X2, and the hydraulic motor 232 can rotate together with the rear wheel 4.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 includes a pair of external ports 222 and 223. The external port 222 is a port that communicates with the first oil passage 241 communicating with the discharge port of the charge pump 255 and is capable of supplying hydraulic oil to an external hydraulic operating device 224 such as a mower lift device. As shown in FIG. 13, an external filter 225 may be provided in the oil passage between the external port 222 and the hydraulic operating device 224.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, the external port 223, which is a port connected to the communication oil passage 243 connected to the oil suction port 211 located on the suction side of the charge pump 255, is for returning the hydraulic oil sent to the hydraulic operating device 224 to the closed circuits X1, X2. Further, in the hydrostatic transaxle 210, the relief valve 212 is provided on the first relief oil passage 244, which is an oil passage connecting the first oil passage 241 and the communication oil passage 243, and a charge relief valve 217 is provided on the second relief oil passage 245, which is an oil passage branched from the communication oil passage 243.

After the pressure is adjusted by the relief valve 212, the hydraulic oil discharged from the charge pump 255 to the first oil passage 241 is supplied to the hydraulic operating device 224 from the external port 222. When the relief valve 212 is opened, a part of the hydraulic oil in the first oil passage 241 is sent to the communication oil passage 243 via the relief valve 212.

Further, the hydraulic oil returned from the hydraulic operating device 224 is introduced into the communication oil passage 243 from the external port 223, and is returned to the closed circuits X1, X2 from the oil suction port 211 after the pressure is adjusted by the charge relief valve 217. When the charge relief valve 217 is opened, a part of the hydraulic oil in the communication oil passage 243 is discharged to the oil reservoir 221 through the charge relief valve 217.

As described above, in the hydrostatic transaxle 210, the first oil passage 241, the second oil passage 242, the communication oil passage 243, the first relief oil passage 244, and the second relief oil passage 245 are formed in the charge pump casing 240, the relief valve 212 is provided on the first relief oil passage 244, and the charge relief valve 217 is provided on the second relief oil passage 245. In the hydrostatic transaxle 210, the external port 222 connected to the first oil passage 241 and the external port 223 connected to the communication oil passage 243 are provided. The hydrostatic transaxle 210 having such a configuration is configured so that the external ports 222 and 223 also fit in the range of the accommodation space of the oil filter 150 in the height direction, and the hydrostatic transaxle 210 has the same compactness as that of the above-described hydrostatic transaxle 10 and a configuration capable of securing the ground clearance of the vehicle while being capable of supplying hydraulic oil to the external hydraulic operating device 224.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 has a configuration that the filter insertion port 227 in the casing 220 is formed to face the left and right direction of the vehicle. In the hydrostatic transaxle 210, the external ports 222 and 223 are provided on the front surface that is a surface different from the side on which the filter insertion port 227 is formed. With this configuration, it is possible to easily insert and remove the filter body 152 with respect to the filter insertion port 227 during maintenance.

The hydrostatic transaxle 210 has a configuration that the filter holding member 151 extends rearward from the charge pump casing 240. The hydrostatic transaxle 210 has a configuration that the external ports 222 and 223 extend forward from the charge pump casing 240 in the direction opposite to the extension direction of the filter holding member 151. In the hydrostatic transaxle 210, since the distance between each of the external ports 222 and 223 and the filter insertion port 227 is sufficiently secured, a hydraulic piping for connecting the hydraulic operating device 224 to each of the external ports 222 and 223 is capable of being arranged so as not to obstruct insertion and extraction of the filter body 152 with respect to the filter insertion port 227.

Next, a hydrostatic transaxle 310 that is a hydrostatic transaxle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 26. In the hydrostatic transaxle 310 shown in FIGS. 22 to 26, the same reference numerals are given to portions having the same configuration as the hydrostatic transaxle 10 according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the descriptions of the portions given the same reference numerals will be omitted.

The pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 310 are provided in the lawn mower 1 (see FIG. 1). The pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles 310 have shapes that are line-symmetric with each other, and have different shapes. However, the configuration and the like inside the transaxles are common. Therefore, in the following detailed description of the configuration, a case where the transaxles are arranged on the left side of the lawn mower 1 will be described as an example. In addition, since the components used in the hydrostatic transaxle 310 are functionally substantially the same as those used in the hydrostatic transaxles 10 and 60 described above, the detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus on the changed portions.

The hydrostatic transaxle 310 illustrated in FIGS. 22 to 26 is an embodiment of a pair of right and left hydrostatic transaxles provided in the lawn mower 1. The hydrostatic transaxle 310 is a device for driving the rear wheel 4 (see FIG. 1) of the lawn mower 1 to rotate and include a casing 320, an HST 330, a reduction gear train 40, an oil filter 350, and the like.

The casing 320 is a casing that covers the HST 330, the reduction gear train 40, the oil filter 350, and the like, and is configured by placing an upper casing portion 320 a, a middle casing portion 320 b, and a lower casing portion 320 c on top of one another, and is filled with hydraulic oil in the inside.

As shown in FIG. 23, a filter insertion port 327 to which the filter body 352 that filters the hydraulic oil is inserted and removed is formed on one of the left and right side surfaces of the lower casing portion 320 c, that is, on the right side surface in the present embodiment. The filter insertion port 327 with a female screw is openable and closable by a filter cap 328 constituting a part of the lower casing portion 320 c. The outer peripheral surface of the filter cap 328 is threaded so as to be freely attachable to and detachable from the filter insertion port 327.

The hydrostatic transaxle 310 includes the oil filter 350 described above. The oil filter 350 is configured by a filter holding member 351 and a filter body 352.

In the inside of the hydrostatic transaxle 310, the filter holding member 351 is arranged in a dead space between the motor 332 inclined at the bottom of the lower casing portion 320 c and a final gear 43, and is immersed in a lubricating oil together with the filter body 352 held by the filter holding member 351. The filter holding member 351 arranges the longitudinal direction of the filter body 352 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the axle (not illustrated).

As illustrated in FIG. 23, in the lower casing portion 320 c, the side wall portions are formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual vertical plane V-V orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of a filter installation portion 361 and passing through the center of the pump shaft 334 in plan view, and the length L to the inner surface of the side wall portion is set to the same dimension on the left and right.

On the outer surfaces of the left and right side wall portions, a pair of annular convex portions 320 d and 320 d is formed on the same axis. The side wall portion located in the annular convex portion 320 d on the right side of the drawing is removed to form the filter insertion port 327. A female screw is threaded on the inner peripheral surface of the annular convex portion 320 d, and the filter cap 328 is screwed. It is also possible to form the filter insertion port 327 in the annular convex portion 320 d on the left side of the drawing and screw the filter cap 328. Machining is performed so that the material of the lower casing portion 320 c is made common and the filter cap 328 can be arranged on either the left side or the right side.

In FIG. 23, by vertically inverting the filter holding member 351 based on the virtual vertical plane V-V, the distal end of the filter body 352 can be directed to the side where the filter insertion port 327 exists.

The filter holding member 351 includes the filter installation portion 361 for installing the filter body 352, a suction oil reservoir 362 provided at a position separated from the filter installation portion 361 in the front-rear direction, and an intercoupling portion 363 that connects the filter installation portion 361 and the suction oil reservoir 362 and allows oil to freely flow inside.

As illustrated in FIG. 23, the filter installation portion 361 includes a cover portion 361 a that covers the outer periphery of the cylindrical filter body 352, and a connecting portion 361 c provided with a filter body-side passage 361 b communicating with a clean oil passage 352 a inside the filter body 352. The connecting portion 361 c includes a hole 361 d in which the end of the filter body-side passage 361 b is opened forward. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 24A, leg portions 361 e with engagement holes are integrally provided at two upper and lower positions so as to be elastically deformable so that the leg portions extend from the end surface of the insertion hole 361 d. Reference numeral 361 f denotes a holder portion of the magnet 21 that is formed to protrude from the outer surface of the connecting portion 361 c.

The cover portion 361 a is formed in a C-shape in the axial cross-sectional view, and has a front opening along the longitudinal direction. In this manner, by providing the wall on the side close to the final gear 43 as illustrated in FIG. 22, it is possible to prevent the oil mixed with the air by being stirred by the final gear 43 in the outer periphery of the filter body 352 from being directly sucked.

In addition, in the vicinity of the opening of the cover portion 361 a, a standing wall 320 e of the inner surface of the lower casing portion 320 c is provided to face the opening. Thus, it is possible to block the oil mixed with the air by the rotation stirring by the motor 332, by the standing wall 320 e so that the filter body 352 does not directly suck the oil.

The intercoupling portion 363 is configured by semi-cylindrical portions 363 a and 363 b each having a concave shape along the longitudinal direction. The concave semi-cylindrical portion 363 a and the concave semi-cylindrical portion 363 b are joined to each other to form a clean oil supply passage 363 c in the inside. An engagement hole 363 d is provided at one end and the other end of the joint surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 a so as to sandwich the clean oil supply passage 363 c. A leg portion 363 e with an engagement protrusion is integrally provided at a corresponding position on the outer surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 b so as to be elastically deformable so as to protrude from the joint surface. Both the members 363 d and 363 e function as snap-fits, and the intercoupling portion 363 is easily assembled without a screw fastening process. A groove 363 f and a protrusion 363 g forming a labyrinth structure having unevenness are formed on the joint surfaces of the semi-cylindrical portions 363 a and 363 b, respectively. By forming the clean oil supply passage 363 c in a state where the protrusion 363 g is inserted into the groove 363 f, it is possible to prevent the contaminated oil from being intruded from the outside of the intercoupling portion 363 through the joint surface.

One end portion of the intercoupling portion 363 has a square tubular shape matched with an inner surface of the hole 361 d of the filter installation portion 361, and is inserted into the inner surface of the hole 361 d. The upper surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 a and the bottom surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 b are provided with engagement protrusions 363 h at vertically symmetrical positions. The engagement protrusion 363 h is configured to be insertable into the leg portion 361 e with the engagement hole. Both the protrusions 363 h and both the engagement holes 363 e function as snap-fits, and the intercoupling portion 363 and the filter installation portion 361 are assembled in a simple and short time.

The other end portion of the intercoupling portion 363 includes the suction oil reservoir 362. The suction oil reservoir 362 includes an upper annular member 362 a and a lower annular member 362 b that are vertically separable in the thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the upper annular member 362 a is integrally molded with the distal end of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 a. The lower annular member 362 b is integrally molded with the distal end of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 b. Reference numeral 363 i denotes a holder portion of the magnet 21 formed at each of the upper and lower control positions of the semi-cylindrical portions 363 a and 363 b.

The upper annular member 362 a and the lower annular member 362 b can be configured as separate bodies that can be separably joined to the semi-cylindrical portion 363 a and the semi-cylindrical portion 363 b. Also in this case, both may be set to be assembled in a simple and short time using snap-fit. If the suction oil reservoir 362 can be separated from the intercoupling portion 363, it is possible to set and selectively use a plurality of suction oil reservoirs 362 having different sizes and diameters with different oil reservoir capacities while sharing the intercoupling portion 363.

As illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 24A, the filter installation portion 361, the intercoupling portion 363, and the suction oil reservoir 362 are arranged along the bottom surface of the lower casing portion 320 c in the casing 320 so as to have a symmetrical outer shape in the vertical direction with a virtual horizontal plane H-H passing through the center of the filter body 352 as the center. Accordingly, it is possible to vertically invert the filter holding member 351 with respect to the virtual vertical plane V-V without deepening the bottom of the lower casing portion 320 c.

The suction oil reservoir 362 is partitioned so as to be held at a predetermined position in the lower casing portion 320 c and to hold clean oil in the inner space of the suction oil reservoir 362 by bringing the entire circumference of the upper end surface with the central portion opened into contact with the lower surface of the center section 333 via a seal ring without any gap and bringing the entire circumference of the lower end surface with the central portion opened into contact with the bottom surface of the lower casing portion 320 c via the seal ring without any gap. A charge pump 355 is arranged on the lower surface of the center section 333 in the inner space.

At a position avoiding the charge pump 355 on the lower surface of the center section 333, a positioning pin 333 f is provided to protrude downward, and the upper annular member 362 a and the lower annular member 362 b of the suction oil reservoir 362 includes a boss portion 362 c that engages with the positioning pin 333 f, and positioning is performed in the rotation direction.

The center section 333 fluidly connects the hydraulic pump 331 and the hydraulic motor 332 by oil passages X1 and X2 (see FIG. 13) as closed circuits drilled in the inside, and includes an oil suction port 211 for replenishing hydraulic oil leaking when circulating, and is open on a lower surface of the center section 333 in which the charge pump 355 is installed.

The trochoid gear type charge pump 355 includes a charge pump casing 240 into which the charge pump 355 is fitted. The charge pump 355 is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil to the oil suction port 211 through the lower surface of the center section 333, and is driven by the rotation of the pump shaft 334 of the hydraulic pump 331. In the charge pump casing 240, an oil suction port 242 is formed and is opened to an inner space of the suction oil reservoir 362.

During an operation of the hydrostatic transaxle 310, the hydraulic oil filtered by the filter body 352 is sucked into the charge pump 355 through the filter holding member 351 and the oil suction port 242, discharged to the oil suction port 211, and supplied as oil circulating between the hydraulic pump 331 and the hydraulic motor 232.

A biasing spring 356 for setting charge pressure is interposed between the lower surface of the charge pump casing 240 and the inner bottom surface of the lower casing portion 320 c. When the pump discharge pressure becomes equal to or higher than the charge pressure, the charge pump casing 240 performs a pressure adjustment operation and moves downward so as to form a gap between the charge pump 355 and the center section 333. By releasing a part of the discharge oil from the gap to the inner space of the suction oil reservoir 362, a constant charge pressure is maintained in the oil suction port 211.

Two pins 333 g are provided to protrude downward on the lower surface avoiding the charge pump 355, in the inner space of the suction oil reservoir 362, and engaged with two longitudinal grooves 243 formed on the outer surface of the charge pump casing 240. The pin 333 g stably guides the movement of the charge pump casing 240 during the pressure adjustment operation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 27 to 29, in the hydrostatic transaxle 310 according to the sixth embodiment, the entirety from the filter installation portion 361 to the suction oil reservoir 362 can be formed of a pair of half members.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 27, the filter installation portion 361 includes the cover portion 361 a that covers the outer periphery of the cylindrical filter body 352, and the connecting portion 361 c provided with the filter body-side passage 361 b communicating with the clean oil passage 152 a inside the filter body 152. The connecting portion 361 c integrally forms the intercoupling portion 363 having the clean oil supply passage 363 c in the inside.

The filter installation portion 361 is configured to be dividable in the vertical direction. One end side of the upper half member 361A is integrally formed with the other end side of the half cylinder portion 363 a connecting the upper annular member 362 a of the suction oil reservoir 362, and the lower half member 361B is integrally configured with the half cylinder portion 363 b having one end side that is connected to the lower annular member 362 b of the suction oil reservoir 362.

Engagement holes 363 d and 363 d are provided at one end and the other end of the joint surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 a on the side close to the upper annular member 362 a so as to sandwich the clean oil supply passage 363 c, and an engagement hole 363 d is also provided on the rear side of the connecting portion 361 c. A leg portion 363 e with an engagement protrusion is integrally provided at a corresponding position on the outer surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 363 b so as to be elastically deformable so as to protrude from the joint surface. Both the members 363 d and 363 e function as snap-fits, and the filter installation portion 361 is easily assembled without a screw fastening process.

The groove 363 f and the protrusion 363 g forming the labyrinth structure are formed in an uneven shape on the joint surfaces of the semi-cylindrical portions 363 a and 363 b, respectively. The labyrinth structure prevents intrusion of inwardly contaminated oil through a joint surface from the filter installation portion 361 to the suction oil reservoir 362. Reference numeral 363 i denotes the holder portion of the magnet 21 formed at each of the upper and a lower control positions of the semi-cylindrical portions 363 a and 363 b.

As illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31, the hydrostatic transaxle 310 according to the seventh embodiment shows an example in which the volume of the charge pump 355 is increased as compared with that described above, and the charge pump 355 increases the capacity without changing the size in the outer diameter direction from that described above in order to share the charge pump casing 240. Specifically, the teeth widths of both the outer gear and the inner gear of the trochoid gear are formed to be long. In response to the increase in length of the charge pump 355 in the axial direction, the lower casing portion 320 c is exchanged with a charge pump accommodation portion having an increased depth. The upper surface of the tooth of the charge pump 355 greatly protrudes from the upper surface of the charge pump casing 240. When the protruding length is larger than the thickness dimension of the suction oil reservoir 362, a spacer 371 is interposed between the lower casing portion 320 c and the lower surface of the lower annular member 362 b to correspond thereto. Thus, the charge pump accommodation space can be easily increased, and the capacity of the charge pump 355 can be increased. In the present embodiment, the spacer 371 is arranged between the lower casing portion 320 c and the lower surface of the lower annular member 362 b, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the spacer 371 may be provided between the center section 333 and the upper surface of the upper annular member 362 a.

The spacer 371 has the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the lower annular member 362 b, and is formed to coincide with the radial central axis. Engaging portions 371 a in contact with three portions of the outer peripheral surface of the lower annular member 362 b are formed on the upper surface of the spacer 371 to maintain a connection state with the suction oil reservoir 362 without being affected by vibration or the like.

The above description relates to specific embodiments according to the present invention, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to cover such applications within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present application are to be considered as illustrative and not to be considered as restrictive. The scope of the present invention is to be expressed in the following claims rather than the above description, and any change to the extent equivalent to the meaning of the scope of claims should be included in the scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hydrostatic transaxle comprising: a casing that is provided with an openable and closable filter insertion port and is filled with hydraulic oil; a hydraulic continuously variable transmission that is arranged inside the casing, the hydraulic continuously variable transmission including in combination a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, and a center section provided with a closed circuit for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor, and including a port for charging the hydraulic oil in the closed circuit; and an oil filter that includes a filter body for filtering the hydraulic oil and a filter holding member configured to guide clean oil filtered in the filter body to a suction oil reservoir, wherein the filter holding member includes a filter installation portion for installing the filter body, and the suction oil reservoir provided at a position different from the filter installation portion, and the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir are configured to be separable from each other and be couplable to each other to freely flow.
 2. The hydrostatic transaxle according to claim 1, wherein an intercoupling portion between the filter installation portion and the suction oil reservoir is configured as a concave or convex cylindrical portion and is fittable, and the intercoupling portion includes an engaging portion and an engaged portion.
 3. The hydrostatic transaxle according to claim 2, wherein the suction oil reservoir has a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion is configured to be separable into two components in a thickness direction, and the two components include an engaging portion and an engaged portion.
 4. A hydrostatic transaxle comprising: a casing that is provided with an openable and closable filter insertion port and is filled with hydraulic oil; a hydraulic continuously variable transmission that is arranged inside the casing, the hydraulic continuously variable transmission including in combination a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, and a center section provided with a closed circuit for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor, and including a port for charging the hydraulic oil in the closed circuit; and an oil filter that is configured by a filter body for filtering the hydraulic oil and a filter holding member configured to guide clean oil filtered in the filter body to a suction oil reservoir, wherein the filter holding member includes a filter installation portion for installing the filter body, and a suction oil reservoir provided at a position different from the filter installation portion, and a charge pump that charges the hydraulic oil is arranged in the suction oil reservoir, and a spacer is interposed between at least one surface of outer end surfaces of the suction oil reservoir and a fixed surface facing the surface. 